Quirky daytrip destinations are fascinating and one of the quirkiest — and most interesting — is the haunted Widow Jane Mine in Rosendale, NY. Rosendale once was famous for being the source of “natural cement,” i.e., cement made from rock without the addition of a slew of chemicals. Natural cement is produced in a process […]
Hudson River Valley
Cool Ruins and a Waterfall Along the Madam Brett White and Red Trail
Madam Brett Park is a tranquil little park on Fishkill Creek in Beacon NY, alongside the Hudson River in Dutchess County, not far away from the Hudson Highlands Park. We were there to hike the “Madam Brett White and Red Trail, an out-and-back trail to a waterfall and marsh overlook. This area is noteworthy because […]
Old Forge Loop Trail, Foundry Park and a Little Surprise Civil War History!
The Old Forge Loop Trail was billed in AllTrails.com as being great for kids, and so I was about to dismiss this walk, until I noticed that there were ruins and a waterfall. The Hudson River from Foundry Dock Park They had me at ruins. Turns out, the waterfall is meh, but the history and […]
Mysteries of the Hudson Highland State Park: Cornish Ruins Hike
Why are ruins so fascinating? Do we expect to see the ghosts of the people who lived or worked there to suddenly appear? I don’t know the answer to that, but I’m fascinated by ruins. There’s something sad and creepy and symbolic about beautiful places that have been abandoned. There’s almost a fairytale set of […]
Discovering History: Washington’s Headquarters at Newburgh
None of Washington’s military headquarters during the War for Independence is of greater historical significance than the Hasbrouck House at Newburgh, NY. The private home that became General George Washington’s headquarters between April 1782 and August 1783 was where he made some of his most important contributions to the United States of America. It was […]
Five Locks Walk: Learning About the D&H Canal in High Falls, NY
There are some interesting ruins along the canal. I walked in the steps of a hoggee. Yes, you read that correctly: a hoggee, or boys or girls (usually boys) who led the mules that pulled the boats along the 108-mile Delaware and Hudson Canal, which ran from Honesdale, PA to Kingston, NY. In one of the […]
Planes, Trains and Automobiles at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodome
The Old Rhinebeck Aerodome is one of those hidden gems that make writing MidAtlanticDayTrips so rewarding! But despite the title of this article, there really weren’t any trains there, other than an old caboose near the runway that didn’t look as if it was in very good shape. But there were many historic and reproduction […]
Sojourner Truth Driving Tour
Sojourner Truth, an abolitionist and advocate for rights for women, endured slavery in New York from 1797 to 1828 when she was emancipated based on the law gradually ending slavery in New York. She lived almost her entire life in Ulster County, NY. She was a woman of determination, who pulled herself out of enslavement […]
Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Site
The Walkway over the Hudson is a steel cantilever bridge spanning the Hudson River between Poughkeepsie on the east bank and Highland on the west bank. You’ll enjoy beautiful views 212 feet above the Hudson as you walk across the span. When the train bridge opened in 1889 it connected to a nationwide network of […]
Rosendale Trestle and Wallkill Valley Rail Trail
When it opened to rail traffic on April 6, 1872, the Rosendale Trestle was the highest span bridge in the United States. We’d seen the entrance for the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail along Binnewater Road, as we were driving to check out the Widow Jane Mine in Rosendale. I wished we’d brought our bikes along […]
Art Omi — Fields Sculpture Park
Bernar Venet, “Arcs in Disorder: 4 Arcs x 5, and 83.5 Degree Diagonal Line” An art museum and hiking? Great idea! You can enjoy both at Art Omi, an 120-acre sculpture and arts park in upstate New York. Dan Colen, “Yellow M&M, Brown M&M, Red M&M, Orange M&M“ The scuptures frequently change, so what I enjoyed […]
Overlook Mountain Trail Hike
Overlook Mountain is located just north of Woodstock, NY. In fact, if you walk down the main thoroughfare of Woodstock, you can see it clearly. It’s a popular trail — one of the most popular in the Catskills, in fact. You won’t get any solitude but that’s because the payoff is amazing. Three payoffs, actually. […]
Staying at Grandma’s Place — an AirBnB Vacation Fabulous Find
We were looking for a fairly inexpensive house to rent while we explored the Catskills and we found “Grandma’s Place” in Woodstock NY. Perfect for a couple or small family, Grandma’s Place is walking distance to the center of Woodstock. The house sleeps four comfortably: one double bed and one queen bed. The […]
Albany Rural Cemetery
The Albany Rural Cemetery is as much a park as it is a burial ground. There are a variety of species of trees, and the roads lead you through undulating hills. Erastus Corning (1794-1872) – Founder and president of the New York Central Railroad, and is located on a large circular plot in Lot 2, Section 31. Erastus […]
Kykuit: Retreat of the Rockefellers
The John D. Rockefeller estate, Kykuit, is a 40-room National Trust house in Westchester County, NY, built by oil tycoon, capitalist and Rockefeller family patriarch John D. Rockefeller. Conceived largely by his son, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and enriched by the art collection of third-generation scion, Governor of New York and Vice President of the United […]